Once I finished my lunch, I straightened up the kitchen before heading to the living room to veg. Now that finals were over, I could do nothing but relax and not feel guilty about it. I had one more shift at Javalotta before we left for Woodfalls; otherwise, I had absolutely nothing hanging over my head.
Grabbing the remote, I flipped on Trent’s massive TV, which I’d grown quite attached to. If I ever started staying at my apartment more than a few hours at a time, I’d totally miss it. I’d been spending less and less time at my old place with Derek and Cameo. My things were slowly starting to trickle here from my apartment and never finding their way back. I now had a small section in his closet and a drawer in his dresser for my clothes. Trent had been trying to convince me to make it official and just move in with him, but I wasn’t quite ready to give up my apartment and the illusion of freedom it gave me.
At the moment, though, as I pulled a blanket up over me and snuggled into the corner of the couch, I had no idea why I kept fighting him about it. This apartment felt more like home than my apartment ever had. Superheroes included.
I dozed the afternoon away, waking when Trent came home with takeout and a couple movies. I had to admit I was disappointed that our celebration would be at home again. Sure, the celebratory sex was good, but I wanted to go out.
• • •
The next night I went to a small Christmas party my roommates were throwing at our apartment. Trent stayed at the lab going over his project one last time since he would be turning it in the next day. We both knew it was perfect, but in order to stay sane, he needed to go over his checklist one last time. He felt bad for missing the party, but I lied to him and told him it was no big deal. Truthfully, it was starting to bother me that he always came up with an excuse to avoid social situations.
By the time I arrived at my apartment, I had gotten over my sour attitude. It had been ages since I’d hung out with my roommates, and I was excited to catch up on things.
“Tress, you’re here,” Derek greeted me, giving me a bear hug.
“I told you I’d be here, silly.” I unbuttoned my jacket and pulled it off.
“Like that matters,” Cameo said under her breath, walking by.
“What’s that supposed to me
an?” I turned to face her.
Derek laughed uneasily. “She’s just joking,” he said, handing me a beer.
“No, I don’t think she is. She’s had a problem with me this whole year, and I’m sick of her shit.” My voice was loud as I took out my frustration from the last few days on her.
Cameo stomped toward me, not caring that I towered over her and could squish her like a bug. “That’s because you act like your shit doesn’t stink. Somebody dies and suddenly you turn into a fucking nun.”
“Cameo, come on,” Derek pleaded, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
“So I’m a nun because I was put on academic probation? How does that make any sense?”
“Don’t give me that bullshit. Even before your probation, you had thrown our friendship away.”
“Are you high? I never threw our friendship away. That’s on you.” We were both yelling. Derek had given up trying to intervene and was now sitting on the couch, out of the line of fire.
Cameo’s face was red from anger. “Nothing is on me. You stopped living the day that David kid died. You didn’t kill him, but you act like you did.”
Her words hit me like a smack in the face. Talking about David was still a sore subject for me. I never talked about him and very rarely did I allow myself to think about him. Cameo had no idea what she was talking about. Yes, I wasn’t directly connected to his death, but I was involved. We all were. “You fucking whore, you have no idea what you’re talking about!” I said, lunging at her.
Derek jumped up off the couch to intervene before I could get my hands on her.
With Derek as a shield, Cameo wasn’t finished. “As if that wasn’t bad enough, you throw yourself at a guy completely wrong for you, obviously trying to remake yourself into someone better. We all see through your act. You’re still the same, Tressa. The sad thing is, you don’t even know who you are anymore. You can try all you want, but you’re no better than me.” Her shrill words were like knives to the heart, but in the end, it was Cameo who was insecure. She couldn’t take it that people can change, and obviously, she was incapable of doing so.
“Fucking let go of me, Derek,” I said, jerking my arm away. I pushed past Cameo before I pulverized her like she deserved. I slammed my full beer into the sink, feeling somewhat vindicated when it exploded all over the kitchen. Grabbing my jacket off the couch, I stalked out of the apartment. Derek tried to call me back, but I didn’t stop. I jumped into my Jeep and tore out of the parking lot, shaking from rage and hurt to the core.
I had no idea where to go as I pulled onto the road. I didn’t want to go to Trent’s empty apartment, and in my current state of mind, I was in no mood to see him. I needed to let loose, to prove to myself that I was still me. I turned into a parking lot and pulled out my cell phone. Hitting my Facebook icon, I went to the MSC chat group one of the seniors had set up so we could keep track of when and where the parties were being held. Finding one that seemed appropriate for my current state of mind, I stowed my phone in my purse and left the parking lot.
It took ten minutes to drive to the other side of town. It was obvious I’d found the right apartment complex by the loud music and the crowd of students hanging around outside. I managed to squeeze my way inside.
“Tressa? Damn, where you been?” a loud voice boomed seconds before strong arms encircled me. My feet left the ground as I was twirled around.
“Ted, you lug, set me down.” I laughed, feeling a small part of myself return.
Ted was a junior defensive tackle for the MSC football team, and he was built like a Mack truck. Word was he even stood a decent chance of being drafted into the NFL.
“I’ve missed your crazy ass cheering while I’m on the field. Where you been hiding?”